Sparkling Heroine
by Riri-chi
Summary: .: It was her turn to save him this time, but how? He always saved her gracefully, but she wasn't "perfect" at it like him. What happens when he's down at his brightest moment? Will she be there for him?:.


sparkling heroine

.: It was her turn to save him this time, but how? He always saved her gracefully, but she wasn't "perfect" at it like him. What happens when he's down at his brightest moment? Will she be there for him?:.

**a/n: Hello everyone! I'm back with another oneshot... as usual. This time, this is dedicated to a special sister of mine. This is for you, Haruka! Happy 15th Birthday! Hopefully all of y'all will find a sparkling heroine one day~!**

* * *

><p>There were three moments they shared before the night that things changed; three moments that sparked something new in their hearts. However, he always saved her in each moment.<p>

A decision was made.

What happened though?

* * *

><p>-x-<p>

"You saved me again," Rima pouted.

Nagihiko chuckled as he set down the petite girl on the ground. A bunch of x-eggs continued to roam around the pair as they were surrounded with no way of escaping. Rima wasn't particularly fond of the eggs or Nagihiko at the moment. In fact, she was missing her daily dose of comedy right now just to fight off these eggs.

"This better be worth it," Rima said as her ropes begun to surround her.

Meanwhile, Nagihiko had a blue basketball swirling in his hand as he stared up at the eggs and smiled. Some of the eggs were taken aback but trotted closer toward the boy. He smirked evilly and shouted,"Blaze Shoot!" The eggs flew back in surprise and were warped into the blaze's aura. They were fused with the power which gave Nagihiko enough time to tell Rima to make her move.

"Now, Rima-chan!" Nagihiko yelled.

Rima glared at Nagihiko for a moment because she didn't like to be told what to do by someone else. Nagihiko sweatdropped and Rima proceeded to use her ropes.

"Tightrope Dancer!" Rima yelled as her ropes went flying into the air.

The ropes wrapped around the eggs and Rima stood her ground as the eggs jerked from left to right. She was struggling to keep a hold of them and kept holding onto the ropes tightly. Her feet stood their ground as she kept on pulling.

"I don't know if I can hold these," Rima managed to say.

Nagihiko ran towards Rima and stood behind her. Not caring if she would get angry, he wrapped his arms around her to where his hands were on top of hers. He finally gripped her hands and pulled. Meanwhile, Rima's cheeks slightly turned pink. Who wouldn't blush naturally at a position like this?

"How are we able to heal the eggs? I'm not Amu after all…" Rima said as she tugged on the ropes.

Nagihiko eyed the eggs and kept his hands upon Rima's. That is, until an idea popped up in his head.

'Rima-chan, if Nadeshiko and you had a power like Queen's Waltz, what if there was a power for you and me?" Nagihiko whispered into her ear.

The soft contact made her grumble but his words were making sense to her. If their hearts connected as one, then maybe they could have the power to heal the eggs.

'Will it work?" Rima asked as she turned to look at him.

"I'm sure it will. You're not Amu after all. You're Rima." Nagihiko smiled down at her.

Rima breathed in for a moment and smiled back up at him. Something inside of her was building up and it felt like a new found strength. Rima turned back around and focused upon the eggs. Nagihiko continued to stand behind her and he could feel the mood changing. His fingers intertwined slowly with Rima's fingers as they tugged on the ropes.

"Blaze Melody!" They both shouted.

A swirl of blue and orange begun to spin around on the ropes and shone across the field they were standing in. Sparkles and shine burst with glimmer as it unleashed a ray of colors. The eggs stopped struggling and blushed toward the power's beauty as the ropes came lose. The x was lifted and all the eggs started to dance and gloat into the sky.

Rima looked up at the sky as Nagihiko stood behind her. However, a clumsy egg came toward the pair and knocked itself into Rima causing her to fall backwards. Nagihiko couldn't catch his grip in time and landed on his back with Rima's back on his chest. Immediately getting up, Rima looked down at Nagihiko, who was still laying on the ground.

"And I thought dancers had coordination…" Rima crossed her arms.

Nagihiko blushed at his embarrassment and quickly got up. The sparkles soon disappeared and the eggs happily returned back to their owner's heart. Rima sighed and turned back around to face Nagihiko. The look upon her face wasn't very pleasing for Nagihiko.

"I missed my comedy show because of you!" Rima pointed.

Nagihiko sweatdropped more and then said,"Rima-chan, I couldn't fight the eggs alone and you know that Amu-chan is out of town right now. Plus everyone else was busy."

Rima stepped further and glared at him.

"Dance," Rima demanded.

Nagihiko was confused and said,"What?"

Rima said, "Dance like the idiot you are. You were the one who messed up my night, after all."

Nagihiko sighed and decided to change the mood. He looked around and noticed a daisy on the ground. Picking it up, he handed the daisy over toward Rima and smiled.

"This is for you," Nagihiko said.

Rima looked at the daisy and blinked. She looked up at Nagihiko and noticed that he was smiling at her. Something was wrong with him and it seemed like he was trying to change the subject, so Rima blinked more and a few tears came out.

"N-Nagihiko, why won't you make me laugh?" Rima cried.

"Ohh~ Using the tears again? Nice try, Rima-chan." Nagihiko said.

Rima glared at Nagihiko and snatched the daisy from his hand. She smelt the daisy and still glared at him through the petals. All Nagihiko did was continue to smile at her. He had saved her once again.

-x-

It was the next day when Rima was walking towards Seiyo Middle School. Usually she walked with her best friend, Amu, but Amu was still in Osaka. However, what she didn't expect was for Nagihiko to be walking beside her.

"I know that we're somewhat on good terms but does that mean you have to follow me everywhere I go?" Rima looked up at him.

Nagihiko whistled a tune and looked down at Rima. He smiled and continued to walk forward.

"I'm talking to you, Fujisaki. Don't ignore my presence." Rima said.

"Rima-chan, we're going to the same place. I'm not a creepy person." Nagihiko said.

"Are you sure about that? Do I have to remind you what you did most of your life?" Rima smiled angelically.

"Do you want to crossdress?" Nagihiko smiled down at her even more angelically.

"I think I'd make a hot guy, thank you very much. Go die in a hole." Rima said.

"I don't know, Nadeshiko was very popular with everyone including girls. Your point is invalid." Nagihiko smiled.

The pair continued to smile at each other so much that their aura was sparkling and shining. Some of the students were murmuring and covering their eyes but Nagihiko and Rima didn't care. They were too focused on each other to even notice the crowd of students.

"Fujisaki-kun, Mashiro-san! Watch out!" yelled a classmate.

Rima and Nagihiko's aura immediately stopped and they looked up. They were standing under a tree and its branch was slipping and cracking. Before they could move, the branch cracked and started to fall. Nagihiko widened his eyes and pushed Rima out of the way. Rima tripped and turned back around as she grabbed Nagihiko's hand and pulled him out of the way. He covered her and the branch finally hit the ground, just a few inches away from the pair.

As his arms encircled her, Rima covered her eyes and waited for the branch to hit them but it never did. She blinked her eyes and Nagihiko patted her, signaling that everything was okay. Rima looked up and widened her eyes as Nagihiko stared down at her.

"Rima-chan, are you okay?" he asked.

Rima looked around and moved Nagihiko's arms away from her. She was a little frightened from what happened and was trying to translate what occurred. Nagihiko stood up beside her and waited for her to reply but she was still silent.

"I'm okay," Rima mumbled.

This was the second moment that they had together and the second time he saved her... once again.

-x-

The third moment occured when Rima headed over toward Nagihiko's house over the weekend. Nagihiko's mother had contacted Rima's mother, prior to business. She wanted Rima to come over for some particular reason.

"Rima-chan, why are you here?" Nagihiko asked.

Rima was standing in front of Nagihiko's door at his was a little drenched from the rain but in her hand was her iPod and some heels.

"Your mother called…" Rima said.

Nagihiko widened his eyes and he noticed how Rima shivered a little in her spot. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his room. Rima walked into his room and stood beside his bed as she watched him.

"What did she say?" Nagihiko asked as he took a shirt and pair of shorts from Nadeshiko's clothes and handed it to Rima.

"She told me to come help you with your dancing. Oh, and something else." Rima said.

"What?" he asked.

"You suck at dancing right now so she thought some inspiration would be helpful." Rima smiled sarcastically.

Nagihiko twitched a little and then smiled back at her in return.

"Change into that shirt since it'll practically be a dress on you. Our maids will wash your clothes." Nagihiko said.

"What? You have maids?" Rima said.

"Yes. Anyway, I'll let you change so I'll be in the room across from this one when I'm done." Nagihiko said.

"Okay," Rima looked around at her environment and noticed how detailed the room was. Nagihiko walked out of the room after closing the door.

As Rima changed into the shirt, she thought about how she could be any use to Nagihiko and his dancing. His mother had mentioned that she was something special but anyone could say that to manipulate someone into doing something they want. After all, Rima recently found out that Amu had slept over here before and she seemed more appropriate for this situation. Rima was finally changed and Nagihiko was right. The white shirt was more like a dress on her, but at least the shorts were still comfortable.

"Nagihiko?" Rima whispered as she slowly opened up her door.

She walked out and headed across the hall as she knocked on his door. No one seemed to answer so she twisted the doorknob and it opened. Rima walked in as she looked around. There was a bed in the center and Nagihiko was laying there fast asleep.

Glaring, she decided to play a trick on him. She walked over to him and took a white, fluffy pillow with her.

"Mmm, Rima-chan…" Nagihiko groaned.

Rima widened her eyes and stopped in front of him. He was now talking in his sleep and she was a little freaked out that he said her name. First of all, why was he asleep when she only changed for five minutes? Secondly, why the heck was he mumbling her name in his sleep?

"Amu-chan…" he mumbled.

This was the last straw. Rima didn't want to hear her best friend's name coming out of his mouth. Climbing onto the bed, she pinched Nagihiko's nose. She took the pillow and slapped Nagihiko in the face with it. A few feathers flew into the air but Nagihiko started to cough. He woke up and widened his eyes.

"Rima-chan!" Nagihiko yiped.

"I'm gone for a few minutes and you fall asleep. How rude!" Rima hit him with the pillow again and Nagihiko blocked it with his hands.

"I didn't mean to!" Nagihiko said.

"You even mentioned Amu's name in your sleep. Wrong move." Rima glared.

Nagihiko flipped Rima over on the bed and moved to the other side quickly as she hit his back with the pillow again. He grabbed another pillow quickly and hit Rima in the face. Silence then filled the air.

"It's on, Fujisaki." Rima said.

Rima spat out the curls that ended up in her mouth after Nagihiko's hit. She then pushed his chest and he fell backward on the bed. Standing up, she walked across the bed and slammed her pillow on top of him. However, Nagihiko carefully grabbed Rima's foot and she lost her grip. Falling on her back now, Rima was a little defenseless as she was lying down. Nagihiko came towards her and aimed his pillow at her. As soon as the pillow came towards her, she blocked her body with her pillow.

Nagihiko crawled towards her and separating their bodies was the two pillows. They stopped for a moment when feathers descended down from the air. He stared into her eyes as she did the same.

"Nagihiko!" yelled a voice.

Nagihiko widened his eyes and got off of the pillows. He knew it was his mother calling him down for practice. Rima moved the pillows back into its place and followed Nagihiko down the stairs. However, something else was on her mind.

"Why did you mention her name?" Rima asked.

"No reason, why? Does it bother you?" Nagihiko chuckled.

Rima grabbed Nagihiko's arm and gripped it tightly. Her bangs covered her eyes as she looked down at the ground. Nagihiko turned to look down at her and he paused.

"Is she special to you?" Rima asked.

"Rima-chan should really mind her own business." Nagihiko said.

"Then don't say her name again." Rima looked up and glared at him. She snatched back her hand and walked in front of him instead. The pair finally arrived to the practice room where Nagihiko's mother was waiting.

"Rima-san, it's nice to finally meet you in person." She said.

"Likewise, Fujisaki-san." Rima bowed politely.

Nagihiko stood next to his mother and noticed the mood swings that Rima was having. It sorta urked him that she was still so passionate about protecting Amu, especially when he mentioned her name in his sleep.

"I wanted Rima-san here because I thought she'd be perfect for inspiration. After all, you do speak about her a lot, Nagihiko." said Rian.

"Mother!" Nagihiko coughed.

"Now now, don't use that tone with me." Rian said.

Rima widened her eyes as Nagihiko blushed a little when their eyes came into contact.

"Although, there is that Hinamori Amu girl as well.." Rian pondered.

Rima stared at Nagihiko in disbelief now as she crossed her arms. Nagihiko tried to get her attention back but she ended up ignoring him instead.

"Anyway, I wanted today's practice to be different since I have to plan more with the performance director." Rian said.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to work with Nagihiko now… alone." Rima smiled to Nagihiko's mother.

"Okay, please do your best." she said.

Rian nodded and bowed as she exited out of the room. Now that Nagihiko's mother was out of the room, Rima slipped on the heels she brought and walked over towards Nagihiko.

"Let's start, I suppose." Rima said.

Nagihiko looked into her eyes and noticed the pain that was hidden beneath those caramels. "Maybe she's still upset about the whole Amu-chan thing.." Nagihiko thought. He walked towards her and tried to smile.

"Don't smile, work." Rima demanded.

He sweatdropped and placed his left hand on her hip while his right hand was holding her left hand. Rima placed her right hand on his shoulder and they started to sway.

"Now twirl," Rima said.

Nagihiko twirled themselves around the floor as they spun in a rhythm to slow circles. They stared into each other's eyes as they continued to swirl. Their feet adjusted themselves to the right flow and their timing was well. However, they stopped for a moment and stayed in that position for a bit.

"Rima…" Nagihiko whispered.

Rima's heart picked up its pace but she didn't cut her eye connection to Nagihiko. She contemplated on whether she should ask him if he liked Amu because a little part of her didn't want that at all.

"I hope you're not upset." Nagihiko whispered.

Rima looked around as the couple danced around in swirls across the floor again. She turned her head to look back at Nagihiko, who was currently smiling at her.

"I don't know, Nagihiko. Hearing your mother say that you talk about my best friend a lot is just nothing at all." Rima sarcastically said.

"But she mentioned that I talk about you a lot too." Nagihiko winked.

"Still doesn't make a difference, goofhead." Rima glared.

Nagihiko suddenly dipped Rima as he leaned forward and stared deeply into her eyes. He tilted his head and his mouth inched towards her ear.

"Does it bother you?" Nagihiko whispered.

His hands were wrapped around her waist as her back was still leaned back. Nagihiko breathed into her neck for a moment and she blinked at his actions. He tilted his head back up and stared into her eyes once more.

"I-," Rima stopped.

"Rima-chan, I don't think you're jealous of me. I think you're jealous of Amu-chan." Nagihiko said.

Rima widened her eyes and did the first thing that came to mind; she stepped on his foot. He yiped and she released his hands from her waist. She backed up and snorted for a second in disbelief. Her honey eyes glanced up at him as Nagihiko stood still after fighting down the pain in his foot.

"Why would I be jealous of my own best friend?" Rima said.

"Because you're always harsh with me when Amu-chan is mentioned." Nagihiko said.

"Yeah, because she's my best friend! I'm not gonna let you steal her away from me." Rima crossed her arms.

Nagihiko walked closer to Rima and pulled her towards him. She was too slow to remove his arms but he whispered more into her ear instead.

"What if I want to steal you from Amu-chan instead?" Nagihiko said.

"What is with your absurd behavior, Nagihiko?" Rima looked at him.

"Rima-chan…" Nagihiko whispered.

He hugged her tightly and held her close to him as his hands entangled into her curls. She stared at his chest and he looked down at her. He leaned in and kissed her cheek unknowingly. Rima widened her eyes and backed up once more.

"Why did you just do that, Nagihiko?" Rima said.

"Rima.." he said.

"Don't even say anything. You just don't go running around and do stuff like that." Rima glared.

She slipped off her heels, accidentally leaving one behind, and ran away from the room. Nagihiko sighed and covered his head in regret. He felt bad for what he did and wanted to take it back. However, even now, he couldn't do anything about it. Although, this was the third time he saved her.

-x-

Today was finally the day that Nagihiko was going to perform as Nadeshiko once again. Rima and everyone else was going to go see him and support his dancing.

Nagihiko was dressed in Nadeshiko's attire as he sat in his dressing room. Usually he wasn't nervous but with the recent events happening between him and Rima, things were a little hectic for him. He wasn't sure why he started to care if Rima liked him more than Nadeshiko, if Rima would like his performance, or if Rima would even show up. He cared a lot about his friends and their needs but Rima's situation was different.

It's as if he needed Rima the most.

Nagihiko stared into the mirror and blinked his hazel eyes as he fixed his headpiece. Using the breathing techniques he learned from his mother, he soothingly gathered up his courage and waited for his cue.

Meanwhile, Rima was sitting in the audience with Amu and the rest of her friends. Amu was finally back from Osaka and in time for Nagihiko's performance, so she was happy for that fact. No, not that she was able to see Nagihiko but because Amu was back. It had been a week since the incident with Nagihiko and Rima was still unsure of her feelings towards him. He confused the heck out of her and she often wondered what was revolving around in that big head of his. Rima looked up and around to see if the show was going to begin soon. She decided to get up and go outside to take a fresh breath of air.

As she walked out, Rima started to remember what happened exactly one week ago at Nagihiko's house. His sudden kiss on her cheek had actually saved her from her confused feelings. She was sorta relieved that she didn't have to be confuse about her feelings for Nagihiko. She looked up at the sky as she situated out her thoughts. Tiny droplets begun to fall and she sighed; they reflected how she was currently feeling.

The show started to begin as the stage lights dimmed lightly upon Nagihiko, who was currently at center stage. The stage was decorated with cherry blossoms as each one bloomed away, waiting to be saved by spring's coming. Nagihiko looked around at the crowd as he opened his eyes. He looked over at the section where his friends were seated but saw no Rima.

_"So she didn't come... I.."_ Nagihiko paused as the traditional music carried on but he froze.

He didn't move at all and his mind went blank. _What in the world is going on? Why can't I move?_ Nagihiko panicked and looked around at the crowd. His body wouldn't move, even if he was forcing himself to. He felt weak and invulnerable, almost as if he was paralyzed. This was the first time that this was happening and he had no idea how to overcome this feeling.

Where was the flower that was beginning to bloom?

On the other side of the situation, Rima sneaked back in and realized she was a bit too late since the show had started. As she returned to her seat, she noticed that Nagihiko wasn't moving and the audience was murmuring words. She blinked and looked at Nagihiko. He seemed lost and frozen.

"_That idiot, what is he doing?"_ Rima thought.

She stood up in her seat and knew what she had to do. He was in a situation and he needed help; he needed to be saved. This was her chance to save him and switch things up. Rima set aside her differences from earlier and knew she had to do something for him.

"Nag-Nadeshiko!" Rima yelled.

The whole audience turned in their seats to look at Rima. Nagihiko looked up from his position and he widened his eyes at her. She smiled at him before her facial expression turned into a glare.

"Dance! Nadeshiko! Dance!" Rima commanded.

Nagihiko glistened his eyes at her and nodded. The audience looked back at the performer and smiled at him. They were waiting for him to get back up on his feet and dance. The music started back up again and Nagihiko positioned himself once more. A burst of confidence filled his veins and he smiled. Rima was here for him, she was really here. He extended his arm out, revealing the blue kimono's silk as it swifted along with his dance movements. The vanilla fan opened and closed as Nagihiko shifted his position across the floor. The traditional dance was filled with beauty and love as the last cherry blossom petal glided down toward the ground and the performance ended when Nagihiko snapped his fan shut; shutting down the end of spring.

The audience went wild as they stood up and clapped. Rima smiled up at Nagihiko as he looked at her from the stage. A blush formed upon their cheeks but they didn't care because they both accomplished something tonight. Rima finally got to save Nagihiko and Nagihiko finally got to see his flower once more.

As soon as the performance ended, Nagihiko returned back to his dressing room as the audience dispersed to the lobby and such. Rima and her friends headed backstage to go see Nagihiko.

"Nade-tan was amazing!" Yaya cheered.

Kairi bowed and looked over at Yaya as he decided to drag her with him to the lobby. She didn't complain as she gleamed at the young lad. They were the only two who didn't know about Nagihiko's secret yet. Meanwhile, Amu and Tadase stood with Rima and Nagihiko in his dressing room.

"You were great, Fujisaki-kun." Tadase said.

It was safe to call him his real name since everyone in the room knew his secret.

"As always, you were truly wonderful, Nagihiko." Amu smiled.

Rima stayed silent as she watched Nagihiko smile at Amu. Even after everything that happened, there was that little spark of sadness lingering inside of her. She looked around before Nagihiko finally spoke.

"Do you guys mind if I speak with Rima-chan alone?" Nagihiko asked.

Tadase nodded and he escorted Amu out of the room. Nagihiko released his ponytail and set down the rubber band on his table. Rima stayed quiet as Nagihiko approached her. He had something behind his back and she looked down.

"Rima-chan, you dropped this." Nagihiko said.

Rima looked over at him and noticed that it was her heel. She facepalmed and realized this was just like Cinderella. She nodded in thanks and snatched the heel from him as she set it down by her bag. He even gave her a bag of her clothes from earlier. Nagihiko walked a little closer to her and she remained still.

"It's been a week, Rima-chan. I'm sorry." Nagihiko apologized.

"Sorry won't cut it, Nagihiko." Rima said.

"I liked the Rima I saw five minutes ago." Nagihiko crossed his arms and sighed.

"Then I'll just leave!" Rima said.

She was ready to storm out when he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him. He lightly held her in his arms and sighed once more. Rima, on the other hand, wasn't phased by this at all.

"That's not the point I was trying to make here." Nagihiko said.

"Then what was it?" Rima inquired.

"You saved me today." Nagihiko smiled down at her.

Rima looked down and she decided to continue with her act.

"It's not really a big deal. Amu and the others save you all the time." Rima glared up at him.

Nagihiko chuckled at her slight jealousy and he hugged her a bit more. Rima couldn't take it anymore; she was ready to break. She gripped a strand of his indigo hair and pulled. He flinched in pain and looked down at her.

"Don't play with my feelings." Rima warned him.

"I'm not, besides you didn't let me finish the other day." Nagihiko smiled.

"What about Amu?" Rima asked.

"Amu-chan is just my friend, that's all. You're different though..." Nagihiko said.

Rima continued to wait for his reply.

"I wanted to thank you, Rima. You may think that you haven't saved me, but you really have. You're my flower that is beginning to bloom. You saved me when I couldn't find myself." Nagihiko confessed.

"You're such an idiot..." Rima blushed.

He laughed and pulled her towards him. Nagihiko rested his head on top of hers and swayed with her as she closed her eyes. They were alone but this was the best dance that Nagihiko ever performed and it was a private performance for Rima and Rima only. She clutched onto the kimono's fabric as he rubbed circles on her fragile back. They were at peace with the silence that surrounded them.

Rima and Nagihiko; sparkling heroines. A sparkling heroine is always there to save you, no matter what.


End file.
